Detroit Tigers owner Mike Ilitch (left), here with general manager Dave Dombrowski, is credited for giving his other team, the Detroit Red Wings, enough cache to be part of the NHL Winter Classic. AP Photo

DETROIT, MI - New Year's Day had to be a special one for 84-year-old Detroit Red Wings owner Mike Ilitch.

"Ilitch — through his teams, his wallet, his infatuation with winning — has sustained Detroit as a destination for hockey and baseball players yearning for championships," Morosi writes.

Morosi has plenty of credibility. He's a former Detroit Free Press reporter who covered the Tigers - another team Ilitch owns - and got plenty of insightful quotes from former Tigers manager Jim Leyland, Red Wings general manager Ken Holland and Red Wings coach Mike Babcock about the Detroit native's impact on his hometown.

"Their commitment here is fantastic," Babcock said. "Without that, Detroit isn't on the upswing like it is right now. I know I've been here now for nine years. Their commitment to this community is like nothing I've seen."